Construction With its lagged pattern of decline and recovery, the construction sector is carrying on at higher levels during these early days of the economic crisis but will suffer its own decline in relatively short order and take longer to return to previous levels. The primary means of mitigating the decline and speeding the recovery will be for tribal leadership to maximize their own internal construction projects for government buildings, infrastructure and other needs. The aforementioned need for renovation and even possible expansion at Indian casinos will aid to a degree. However, lobbying for and pursuit of non-tribal government funding through grants and loans that are expected to be part of additional stimulus packages will be critical to maximizing the amount of construction tribes can direct to their own ventures until general economic conditions improve. The lobbying aspect will require the active cooperative efforts of tribal organizations and tribe-to-tribe initiatives previously discussed. To the extent that such efforts produce construction opportunities, TERO and other AIAN-centered hiring and purchasing will aid in maximizing the benefits to the tribal construction sector. In the meantime and in parallel, refocusing construction efforts on smaller- scale projects, repairs and renovations will help maintain work and cash flow and the integrity of construction teams to some degree. The volume produced by such efforts is never sufficient to compensate for the loss of larger projects. It is, however, a time-tested means of surviving difficult times in the construction sector. One other potential source of sustaining demand and recovery could be a need for increased manufacturing capacity on tribal lands to meet new supply diversification and manufacturing repatriation efforts discussed under the manufacturing sector below. To the extent such efforts bear fruit, which the current environment certainly supports, there may be new construction projects available that would not otherwise have been present to help close the gap. Within this context, key recommendations and areas of focus include: Active lobbying and pursuit of grants and low-interest loan programs for infrastructure and other construction projects from non-tribal sources by tribal associations and individual tribes alone or in consortiums Identification of any repair or renovation projects for existing tribal businesses and infrastructure to maintain minimal operating levels for construction teams Active pursuit of larger-scale renovation and expansion projects for Indian casinos as previously discussed Increased tribe-to-tribe and AIAN-owned construction sourcing for any projects available Documentation of potential construction labor and other economic benefits from new manufacturing or other projects to support loan and grant applications.
∴ PRESCRIPTIONS
121
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs